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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1963)
Team Teaching: A Different Approach to A Better Educatic By EARL H. ADAMS Mail Tribune City EdilOr Team teaching is a term used In educational circles today to describe a variety of situations in which two or more teachers cooperate in instructing a group of stu dents. The board of education of Norwalk, Conn., public schools has said their program is designed "to provide a better education for pupils through a more flexible type of classroom organization which permits sound grouping practices and fuller ultilization of the special talents and strengths of teachers." Norwalk was one of the country's pioneers in adopt ing the team teaching type of instruction. The structure and approach to team teaching varies among schools where it is used - from a strict team or ganization with a leader, cooperative teachers, clerical aides and perhaps even intern teachers, to the team which achieves its effectiveness by cooperation through partial departmentalization as it is in the fifth and sixth grades in Medford public schools. The Team in Norwalk, Conn. In Norwalk, Conn., for example, each team consists of a team leader, one or more cooperating teachers, and at least one teacher aide, all of whom work on a full time basis. There also may be a part-time teacher, or a part-time teacher aide. At Lexington, Mass., High school, the organization is ' a more cooperative type arrangement between teachers rather than a strict hierarchy team organization. Courses at Lexington, however, are scheduled so teachers may work closely together in class on a volun tary and instructional basis. Basically, however, the team teaching organization is the same: two or more teachers, with or without clerical aide and with or without a designated leader or chair man, cooperating in teaching a group of students. Provide Certain Desirable Factors Team teaching situations provide certain desirable factors, which, for the most part,' may be lacking in the conventional, self-contained classroom. Among them are: 1. Greater utilization of the teacher's strength. Educators believe that a teacher interested in a specific field is a more effective instructor in that sub ject, and students appear to be more interested in the subject when it is well presented. In a team teaching situation, the teacher with a spe cific interest teaches the subject in which that interest is utilized. The teacher may have other instructional obli- 1 7.Utj;5--.' j-. V'' About 60 third and fourth grade students at Estabrook elementary school in Lexington, Mass., attend a mathematics lecture. The instructor utilizes an overhead projector in this picture taken by Salem Architect James Payne on a recent visitation to schools in the east and mid-west. gations, Vut his main teaching" responsibility is in his particular field. Teacher Instructs All Subjects In the self-contained classroom, the teacher instructs all subjects. Educators believe that a teacher whose interest is predominantly in one subject, say for example English, will not make a good instructor in another sub ject, such as science. The teacher most likely will not Features Sports Medford Tribune SECTION B MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 1963 PAGES 1 to 8 Pittsburgh's Teaching Approach By LAWRENCE WERNER United Press International Pittsburgh (HPD Robert once was "a devil" In the opinion of his teachers. He was unmanageable and un willing to learn a product of "slum shock." Today, Robert is a con scientious pupil, eager to keep up with his class, in terested in his subjects and taking music lessons. The transition of this 11-year-old fifth-grader from a serious discipline problem to a hard-working pupil is credited to a revolutionary concept in education team teaching. In a radical departure from the traditional mcth iods of classroom instruc tion, team teaching utilizes the special talents of teach ers and permits individual assistance for both talented and "slow" pupils. Teach 8,500 Students Since its inception here in 1960, team teaching has spread from five elemen tary schools to eight ele mentary and two junior high school facilities con taining 8,500 pupils with some eye-opening results. The program here is one of the largest team teaching projects in the nation. Even though an authori tative evaluation of the program will not be readi ed before next fall. Dr. Charles Hayes, director of the program, and his staff and the teachers in the pro gram are optimistic about its future. They have noted encouraging signs. Promising indicators are the change In many of the students the majority of whom arc from "changing neighborhoods" and the cnthusiams of the partici pating teachers. Dr. Hayes describes "slum shock" as an en vironmental condition which inhibits a student in the learning process. Under conventional teaching methods, many of the in structors believe such youngsters are unable to overcome their frustrations and, as a result, do not rea lize their full capabilities. Recognized Difference A teacher with 15 years experience, Mrs. Bette Shutlleworth said she rec ognized the "tremendous difference between team teaching and the conven tional system." Dr. Hayes believes that "most communities fail to utilize the potential of the areas in which they live." Team teaching permits the community to take part in the education of children and sees to it that the spe cial skills of both teachers and students are realized. Examle of Teaching Here is an example how team teaching works . in . Pittsburgh: A typical team consists of a team leader, or master teacher, four regular teach ers, a teacher intern from a nearby university, and a team mother, a member of -the community in which the school is situated. Mrs. Harvey, a teacher for 18 years, is a team leader for 114 second grad ers at Crescent school. The grade formerly was appor tioned into four classrooms with about 36 pupils in each. Now, class sizes vary ac cording to subject, the learning ability of the stu dents and special skills of the teachers. Teaches Language Arts For example, Mrs. Har vey, with the help of team mother Mrs. Olive Fleming, teaches a class in language arts to 96 average students and U below average. Another teacher, Virginia Pegnato, in a nearby class room, teaches 11 gifted and college potential students i& Mh I : -f j ' n'i . i t An Instructor in one oi i-iiuDurgn i jeacning iran. uunuwn i - dents. (UP" in a creative writing class. Mrs. Rosemary Hulsman's class in phonetic analysis consists of five sub-average students. Mrs. Theresa Manella teaches sentence structure to seven students classified as below average and one, slow. Teaching intern Lin da Pollard instructs a gift ed child and 12 college po tential children in oral expression. Phyllis Lewis, assistant to Dr. Hayes, says the flex ibility of team teaching is its strength. Teach in Large Classes Teachers may teach in a large class in one subject and a small one in anoth er. A pupil may learn one subject in a class of near 100 and another in a con versation group-size class. Large groups usually are for subjects in which the students can make normal progress, while concentrat ed instruction is reserved for subjects in which they need either special help or have outstanding ability. Team teaching recognizes that all youngsters "do not have the same type of needs," Dr. Hayes said. If a student is proficient in reading, he may be slow in arithmetic and more energy is applied to help him catch up in mathema tics. For another student, the opposite may be true. Individual Instruction In conventional methods of instruction, these young sters would not be afforded the opportunity to receive individual instruction be cause of the teaching work load in the older system. Teachers, too, have cer tain areas in which they perform more efficiently, and team teaching uses them accordingly. An im portant facet of tho pro gram, Dr. Hayes said, is the weekly meeting of the team teachers. It is at these ses sions that pupils are evalu ated and the teachers giv en a chance to work out various problems in the flexible program. Team teaching, Dr. Hayes said, reaches out into the social and cultural world to help the pupils cope with the "intellectual competencies needed in to day's world." Regular field trips, which provide pupils with experiences related to their school work and which they probably would not get at home, are part of the curriculum. Team mothers perform duties such as handling projectors and other offices which help free the profes sionally trained teacher for Instruction. By the end of the 1963-64 school year, $1,116,400 will have been spent on team teaching in Pittsburgh schools. It may prove to be one of the best investments ever made in teaching In the steel city. have the knowledge or ability to teach a subject in which he has little interest. 2. More individual student attention. In most team teaching situations, teachers have a bet ter knowledge of the student's abilities and weaknesses. These factors may be discussed by the team at a planning session, and means of assisting the student are planned. One or more of the teachers in a team organization will have free time when the student has free time so the two have an opportunity for consultation. Not In Position to Tell In the self-contained classroom, the teacher, if he is weak in one or more subjects, may not be in a position to tell if a student needs help in a particular field. The student may need assistance or encouragement in devel oping a budding ability not recognized, an ability which could be recognized by a "specialty teacher." 3. More efficiently planned courses. Through greater utilization of the teacher's strength, curriculum, especially those in team teaching situations, can be better planned. Course material is planned weekly throughout the school year by the team in a planning session, when all members of the team discuss material to be presented, use of and arrangements for visual aid equipment, and other aspects of instructing the course. Relieved of Routine Paper Work The teacher in most team situations is relieved of rou tine paper work through utilization of clerical aides. This gives the teacher more time for material prepara tion. It also provides more time for the teacher to con sult with students who have individual problems. Teachers in many self-contained classrooms, even in the Rogue valley, arc bogged down with paper work which clerical aides could do. Because of this paper work, the teacher does not take the time necessary to provide individual attention to the student who needs assistance or the time for detailed preparation of course material. 4. Better classroom facilities. Rooms Designed For Purpose Rooms can be designed, whether in a new building or in a building to be renovated, for a specific purpose, such as science, language arts, and other subjects. Lec ture, or large group instruction rooms are more efficient if designed for that purpose. At Estabrook elementary school in Lexington, Mass., for example, a lecture room is designed along the lines of an amphitheater. The instructor occupies space at one end on the floor level, while students occupy table type desks elevated in rows toward the rear on the other three sides of the room. About 100 students can be accommodated. At Evanston Township High school In Illinois lecture rooms are converted conventional type classrooms with rows of desks elevated toward the back of the room. Part of the lecture center includes smaller conference and discussion type classrooms. Movable Walls Are Utilised Movable walls arc utilized in many schools for large and small group instruction to better utilize space. Visual aid equipment can be better utilized in a room designed for a specific subject. Materials can be left for the next class session. In the self-contained classroom, visual aid equipment can be used, but not as effectively. The teacher in the self-contained classroom probably will have to set up and dismantle visual aid equipment between subjects, causing some distraction and taking valuable classroom time. The change to team teaching is more pronounced in elementary schools, since departmentalization in the lower grades is not as common as it is in secondary schools-. Team teaching can be organized without de partmentalization, but tlie latter is a step to team teach ing, such as the team approach In the fifth and sixth grades in Medford schools. - Partial Departmentalisation In the fifth and sixth grades in Medford schools, the team approach is through partial departmentalization. Students go from one classroom to another, and both fifth and sixth graders arc taught by the same teacher in one subject, although the grades themselves are not mixed. Teachers cooperate in planning courses and class schedules. ' Schools in Lexington, Mass., and Norwalk, Conn., and in other areas, have moved to the team approach slowly, experimenting, reviewing and changing as problems in the team organization develop, But the team approach appears, to be carried out suc cessfully where it is being tried. Students like It, and apparently do better academically than in the conven tional type classroom situation. The more the team approach Is used, the more It la refined, the more it is adapted to local situations, and the more that is offered instructional through team teaching, the more it is liked by both the student and teacher. . - ' Wilson school's teaching team is shown above discus sing educational material. Seated arc, left to right, Mrs. Barbara Doolen, music, art and penmanship; Mrs. Ruth Kay, reading and English; and Russell Car, physical edu cation, health and science. Standing, left to right, are Ve rne Goodrich, arithmetic, and Robert Baccus, principal. Mrs.. Ruth Kay, reading and English Instructor for fifth and sixth graders at Mcdfnrd's Wilson school. Is shown In one of her classes, Team teaching In the fifth and sixth grades la accomplished through partial departmentalization.
